Chapter Twenty Five: Queen of Moonlight

River Black

Every time she thought about walking back to Inana’s cabin, she found that she’d gone further from it. It had to be magic, something she still had a hard time believing in all the way. It was hard to deny when it was directly happening, though, and now she tried to fight it.

It couldn’t be ‘good’ magic if it controlled her, River reasoned. She would stop walking, resolutely plant her feet on the ground and then in a blink, she’d walked several steps. Well past sunset, she found herself deep in the woods in the dark.

For a moment, she had her own will again. River spun in a small half circle, looking for the light of the cottage. It was long gone. She had no idea where she was, what time it was. Five minutes could have passed. Or five days. Disoreintated, she sat down, stubbornly refusing to walk another step. Her legs hurt, her feet ached. Cinder had given her a pair of boots, but they were a coupl